FAQ and threads for those just starting to hike the Colorado 14ers.
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Thanks for the clarification on @WildWanderer... I'm going to PM her
Great info all- thanks! I don't know if I can convince the other adults to go more than 1.5 hours is going to be the challenge. I wanted to do Mt. Elbert... go big or go home... but I got vetoed on that and it's about 2 - 2.5 hrs away. I'm going to keep trying. I know we're Girl Lead, but the adults have a say when we're driving, unfortunately. Our girls wanted to drive all the way to Four Corners when we only have 5 days- lol
I've been a Girl Scout Leader since 2003 and head of a Colorado Springs high adventure/outdoor survival Girl Scout Troop since 2007, with girls ranging from 6th-12th grades. I can give you TONS of information. I'll PM you
June is usually the last month of winter in the Colorado mountains. You may have to hike through continuous snow Above treeline at the beginning of June and mostly gone at the end. When people hike through continuous snow they may need snowshoes to avoid sinking to their waists, gaiters to prevent the cold wet snow from getting into their boots, and traction like microspikes to avoid slipping on ice crusts in the early and late part of the day. Plus winter clothing for wind chills down to 20 degrees at this time of year.
Colorado Springs is only near Pikes Peak 14er. The next closest like Mt. Princetown, Sherman, Mt Evans are up to a two hour drive away.
There is road to the top of Pikes Peak that may or may not be open open by early June. There is construction of a new visitors center this year that might mean you park pat way up and take a shuttle the rest of the way. One easier drive/hike to drive up to and park at Devils Playground. (I believe this is a shuttle parking lot) Then you can hike about three miles to the summit. They may be considerable snow and ice still in June.
WildWanderer would know better, but here are my 2 cents worth:
You can start on Barr Trail, which begins in Manitou Springs. See: https://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=p ... type=14ers. It’s a long hike, but in June, you won’t have to summit to see snow, especially with how much we have been getting lately. As the date approaches keep an eye on the route conditions (See: https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/peakstat ... type=14ers looking at the East Slopes conditions). This will give you an idea of how far you will have to hike before encountering snow.
Check out the "Pikes Peak Every Day" Facebook page if you want to see a daily picture of the east face conditions on Pikes and the Incline. The "Barr Camp" Facebook page also has info on recent conditions...
Pikes Peak Every Day-facebook page.JPG
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peter303 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2020 10:07 am
June is usually the last month of winter in the Colorado mountains. You may have to hike through continuous snow Above treeline at the beginning of June and mostly gone at the end. When people hike through continuous snow they may need snowshoes to avoid sinking to their waists, gaiters to prevent the cold wet snow from getting into their boots, and traction like microspikes to avoid slipping on ice crusts in the early and late part of the day. Plus winter clothing for wind chills down to 20 degrees at this time of year.
Colorado Springs is only near Pikes Peak 14er. The next closest like Mt. Princetown, Sherman, Mt Evans are up to a two hour drive away.
There is road to the top of Pikes Peak that may or may not be open open by early June. There is construction of a new visitors center this year that might mean you park pat way up and take a shuttle the rest of the way. One easier drive/hike to drive up to and park at Devils Playground. (I believe this is a shuttle parking lot) Then you can hike about three miles to the summit. They may be considerable snow and ice still in June.
I heard that you can't really do Pikes Peak this year with the Cog Railroad being shut down and all. There was a shuttle but it was $70/adult and $40/girl, which is not in our budget... So that's why we've been looking at other options.
divanicki75 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2020 2:56 pm
I heard that you can't really do Pikes Peak this year with the Cog Railroad being shut down and all. There was a shuttle but it was $70/adult and $40/girl, which is not in our budget... So that's why we've been looking at other options.
? You can drive up part way (35.00 per car load), and then there's a FREE shuttle to the summit:
From May 24th to mid October, at Mile 7, 13, and 16, you’ll find ample parking and free shuttles that depart from Devils Playground every five minutes to take visitors to the summit while the highly anticipated new Summit House is built.
Really easy to see snow in June and play on/in it:
1. Drive to Breckenridge.
2. Park by the gondola.
3. Get on the free gondola.
4. Ride the gondola to Peak 8.
5. Get off the gondola.
6. Walk to the snow (30-75 seconds) behind the resort.
7. Enjoy.
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." PRE
divanicki75 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 7:40 pm
Hi there,
I am a Girl Scout leader from TX and my middle school girls have been saving for a couple of years for a big trip. They've decided on Colorado Springs in the first half of June. I know nothing about climbing, hiking etc other than we need to increase our water intake so we don't get altitude sickness. My girls' only wish... or, the #1 thing on their list to do in CO is to see/touch/play with snow. I figured the only way to do this is by climbing a 14er. Am I chasing a unicorn? Is this unrealistic? I don't even know how long/ how difficult it is to climb the easiest mountain. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Also, we are staying SW of Fort Carson, so any ideas for Mountains we could climb/ride would also be much appreciated. Our original plan was to ride to the top of Pikes Peak, and well... that doesn't seem to be a possibility, so we're on to Plan B. Are there other Mountains that you can ride up? (I don't think I could do the drive without freaking out, which is not a good example to the girls and all). I'm looking for a mountain within an hour & a half of Fort Carson.... Bonus points if there's one near Manitou Springs area, since we're already spending a bunch of time there...
Thanks!!
It can vary quite a bit from year to year, but in the first half of June, you probably won't have to climb a 14er to find snow. Most of the higher passes will probably have snow, such as Independence Pass, Loveland Pass, or Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. You can drive to all of these locations, and quite a few more.
Keep it simple. Drive to loveland pass. Climb Sniktau. Easy, safe 13er. No routefinding or getting lost, and there will be snow up there.
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. -Nelson Mandela
Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called Ego. -Nietzsche
Trotter wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2020 10:53 pm
Keep it simple. Drive to loveland pass. Climb Sniktau. Easy, safe 13er. No routefinding or getting lost, and there will be snow up there.
This is a good recommendation. Since they are starting from the CO Springs area, hiking to one of the nearby summits from Independence Pass could also work.
I'm in CO springs and actively involved in my daughter's troop (not a super-troop, just brownies). I'm thrilled to hear you guys are coming to CO--they'll love it.
I highly recommend you look at the "Devils Head Lookout Trail to Fire Tower" on alltrails.com. It's great for new-ish hikers like your girls, shouldn't trigger altitude sickness, and relatively easy to access (it's north of the springs). It is next to impossible to get lost on this trail and offers a nice variety of terrain in my opinion. The views are amazing and there's an actual fire-tower at the top that is still staffed by a ranger. It's our favorite hike for out-of-town visitors. There may not be snow in June though, but it's still possible. If you have the time in your schedule you could do this trail first and if the girls tolerate it well and still want to do more hiking you could take them up the manitou incline (and come back down the Barr trail) or head farther out to something grander like the others have recommended.
